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A Brief History of Hays County and San Marcos Texas Written in serial form and published in THE SAN MARCOS RECORD during Centennial Year, 1948. (Hays County was created on March 1, 1848, by the State Legislature of Texas.) By Dudley R. Dobie San Marcos, Texas 1948 '--"*" *-**> Privately Printed San Marcos, Texas 1948 .•••••• •- ' >* t • 1 CAPTAIN JACK HAYS, TEXAS RANGER "»= J A FEW REMARKS March 1, 1948 marked the hundreth anniversary of Hays County, Texas. Realizing that there should be some kind of program in observance of the county's centennial, the publishers of The San Marcos Record invited me to prepare a series of articles dealing with the history of the region. In lieu of a comprehensive under­ taking our plan was to present a brief history ,of the county. Follow­ ing that plan, I have not discussed many things that should be incorporated in a compendious work. One could devote much time and space to the flora and fauna of the region. The San Marcos River and its marine gardens deserve special study. Likewise, the Balcones Escarpment and the Edwards Plateau are rich geological mines. A thorough investigation of the ranch industry and a survey of the corn and cotton breeding farms would, I am assured, reveal some interesting and useful infor­ mation. The Burlesons—General Ed Burleson, Major Ed Burleson, Postmaster General Albert S. Burleson, and the Burleson homes, challenge the student of history. The educational institutions, es­ pecially Johnson Institute, Coronal Institute, and the San Marcos Chautauqua merit special study. Biographical sketches should be prepared honoring those citizens who rendered outstanding service to their communities and to society. I do not have, in mind those pious pillars of the church whose sole desire was or still is to have their names engraved on stained glass. Folks like P. J. Allen, John W. Bunton, Albert S. Burleson, Rev. Sterling Fisher, T. G. Harris, W. W. Haupt, D. P. Hopkins, Mrs. Claiborne Kyle, M. C. McGee, T. G. McGee, Rev. Z. N. Morrell, Ezekiel Nance, John and Carr Pritchett, Dr. E. P. Shelton, W. D. Wood, and Dr. P. C. Woods, left pretty big tracks. A record of- the services rendered by citizens in World War I and World War II should be made. A complete survey of the development of business enterprises from about 1875 to date would mean much to a ^study of this kind. So you see this is far from being a complete project. It is not My history. The History of Hays County belongs to those who made it—-its pioneers. I have played a minor role in weaving remarks about their experiences and achievements into this work. I borrowed freely from the writings of several persons. J leaned long on articles by Editor T. F. Harwell in his Quarter Century i... , „• ^^^J.,^^. ^° Edition of The Kyle News of April 20, 1928. In that same issue I drew from the contributions of B. Fitzgerald, Miss Wilma Allen, Mrs. W. S. Birdwell, Mrs. Roberta Belvin Pritchett, Mrs. Jennie Weaver Garison, Miss Fannie Manlove,. and others. Likewise, I found a wealth of information in the Silver Anniversary and His­ torical Centennial Edition of The San Marcos Record of September 25, 1936. I used the scrapbooks kept by Mrs. E. L. Thomas and Mrs. W. Aiv Wyatt of San Marcos. Their deep interest in local history was a source of inspiration to me. The scrapbook assembled by the late Col. D. P. Hopkins was of great aid. The kind, en­ couraging words of friends and readers of my column meant much to me. To all who assisted me in any way I say, "muchas gracias." This little book is a beginning. I trust that it may serve to challenge a native of Hays County to produce a larger and better volume. Dudley R. Dobie On the banks of the lovely San Marcos San Marcos, Texas August 28, 1948 A BRIEF HISTORY of HAYS COUNTY AND SAN MARCOS, TEXAS TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHY Hays County, Texas covers a section of territory at the inter­ section of 98° W. longitude and 30° N. latitude. Topographically it lies on the border between the Edwards Plateau and the Southern Black Prairie region of central Texas. The terrain of the northern half of the county is exceedingly' rugged and is well clothed with cedar, Spanish oak, live oak and a dense underbrush, while the eastern and southern portions are prairie lands, dotted with small groves of timber. Hays County has an approximate ??ea of six hundred and twenty-five square miles. It is in the shape of a rec­ tangle and is bounded by Travis County on the north, Caldwell County on the east, Guadalupe County on the south, Comal County on the southwest, and Blanco County on the northwest. The elevation of Hays County ranges from about 400 feet above sea level in the southern part of the county to some 1,200 feet in the extreme northern portion. The hills which are found in this northern region are fully entitled to the appellation of mountains, for although only moderate in altitude, they are mountainous in formation, with rocky precipices, ledges, and spurs. Many of these mountains are isolated mounds or Cones, either perfect or trun­ cated, rising from a base of a table-land. Some of the hills and ridges are covered with timber, while others are bare. Between the mountain ridges are valleys 'of great fertility and beauty, 'some of which are large enough for farms. The central part of Hays Coimty is traversed, by the Balcones Escarpment or Fault Line which runs from the Rio Grande near Del Rio to San Antonio and thence northeastward to Austin and, with less definite markings, to the Red River northeast of Dallas. This fault line is the most distinct natural boundary line in Texas, dividing the state into lowland and upland provinces. Above this line the surface is characterized primarily by erosion, below by deposits of material eroded above. The rugged country above the fault line is known as the Edwards Plateau. The plateau commences near the northern line of Travis County and continues a little south of west, through Travis, Hays^ Comal, Bexar, 'Medina, Uvalde, and Kinney counties to Val Verde County, where it breaks down in the valley of the Rio Grande. The drainage flows 'down the scarp line and has cut small canyons backward into the Edwards Plateau. The Llano Estacado and the Edwards Plateau together constitute in Texas the Plateau of the Plains. This lies within the area inclosed by the Canadian River on the north, the Pecos River on the west, the Balcones escarpment on the south and .southeast, and an irregu­ lar line of scarps along the headwaters of the eastward-flowing drainage of the Colorado, Brazos, and Red Rivers of Texas. Hays- County 'is well watered, having many springs and creeks and two rivers, all flowing in a general southeastern direction. Its principal streams are the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers, Bear, Cypress, and Onion Creeks. The Blanco heads in Blanco County, drains a large portion of the mountain section of Hays County, and empties into the San Marcos River a few miles below the city of San Marcos. The San Marcos River has its source in springs within the city limits of San Marcos. These springs issue from a subter­ ranean lake of the Balcones Fault Zone and form a full-grown river, discharging 100,000,000 gallons daily. The San Marcos Springs are the second largest in Texas, being surpassed only by the Comal Springs of New Braunfels. The "head of the river" with its lovely marine gardens has few or no rivals of importance. This lovely river attains considerable depth in its upper reaches and in most places is so clear that the bottom can be seen. The streams of Hays County have cut wide, though generally shallow, lowland valleys across the less-resistant materials of the prairies. Subsequently, these lowlands have been filled with alluvial materials deposited by these streams. The result has been the for­ mation of wide valley lands which possess a constructional topog­ raphy. These areas, with fine silty alluvial materials and a smooth surface, have been important as farming centers since white men first settled in this section of the state. These lands have been formed by deep accumulations of soil materials, constituting the fertile blackland belt. Not only are these soils highly productive, but they also have with good care, a high capacity of maintaining their productivity. The prairie soils have developed under the influence of a mod­ erately humid climate. In practically all eases, the prairie sections are underlain by fine-textured soil materials which usually are high, or fairly high, in lime. These conditions, plus the influence of the thick stand of tall grasses, have been major factors in pro­ ducing the generally rounded outlines and the subdued relief fea tures, so characteristic of the undulating surfaces of the prairie regions. The rocks found within the regions of Hays County are of three kinds: sedimentary, igneous, and surficial. The sedimentary rocks occupy the greater portion of the area, and surficial rocks are of considerable extent, whereas ,the igneous rocks are of only occas­ ional occurrence. The sedimentary rocks were deposited- in the sea and subsequently elevated so as to form a land surface. They now consist of evenly bedded horizontal limestones with occasional beds of clay, and constitute the foundation of the country. The igneous rocks consist of solidified molten rock found in fissures, and asso­ ciated lava and volcanic ash. The surficial rocks consist of material derived from the marine sedimentary rocks and the igneous rocks, brought down from the northwest by streams and deposited as a veneer over the uplands, as terraces along the streams, and in oc­ casional lake basins.

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